How Not To Get Discouraged While Searching for A New Job or Work

by Robert Wilkinson

Recently a client wrote me that they were having a hard time in searching for a job and not getting the results they wanted. What follows are some themes to keep in mind if you’re looking for new work.

I first gave this to you three years ago. I rewrote it for readability and edited out things that were no longer applicable since times have changed since then.

First, we have to figure out which planet function within us is creating frustration. We have all the planets within us, and each gets frustrated in a certain way when we’re not getting what we want as fast as we’d like it to show up.

When we get discouraged by the slow pace, or get frustrated when we don’t find what we want as soon as we would like, we’re learning how to change how our Saturn functions. If we get frustrated by a lack of ability to coordinate different parts of our personality so they work together to bring us some kind of job or procession we can live with, we're learning how to change our Mercury function. And if we get aggravated or misfire in sharp or blunt ways, we’re learning to change our Mars function.

A huge misunderstanding of astrology involves how the planets work in our lives. No planet makes us fail, or frustrates our efforts, or creates discouraging feelings and attitudes. We, and only we, do these things.

When we do not attain at least some small measure of what we know we need so we can live our lives more fully, it's usually due to one of two things. The first is that it is not part of our Dharma. If we’re efforting toward something that is not appropriate to our evolution, then it will not happen.

The second is far more common. This is when something in our subconscious mind is blocking our self-conscious mind from seeing clearly where our higher and better interests are. Eliminate the block, and either we shall see what we need to do, or we will be led to circumstances that are perfect for our present transitional state.

These kinds of blockages usually are a result of fear, uncertainty, avoidance, or a sense that we will fail if we try to do that work. When we eliminate these, then usually we become very clear about what to do and how to do it.

Our Saturn function symbolizes all those kinds of blocks. Saturn is what we fear and why, which is why it’s also associated with what we avoid. Saturn is uncertainty through a lack of clarity about who we are and who we aren’t. Saturn represents our self-imposed limitations that set us up for “failure” and associated discouragement.

The problem with getting frustrated when searching for a new job, (or new profession, or new relationship, or new whatever) is that pessimism breeds pessimism. A pattern created is a pattern set into motion until something changes the trajectory of that pattern. That's why it's important when we feel most frustrated to change the energy into determination that one way or another we will not allow our inner doubts and fears to drive our vehicle of personality into ditches of discouragement.

No planet "destroys" a work sector, or any other life area. All planets challenge us to think outside our perceptual limitations according to their nature and what they symbolize. And while patience is always one of Saturn's virtues, it must also be united with an organized plan and tremendous persistence in calculating the object you would attain dominion over.

We often do our best and still feel like we're running into brick walls. If it's happening to many, then we really can't take it personally as it's part of the larger field of endeavor we're all swimming in. That’s why we have to see the larger context of our search.

However, if our striving hasn't worked, then we need to examine if we're fishing for trout in a bass pond. In other words, striving for work isn't enough. What is not sought in the right way will not be found, but seeking in "the right way" won't bring us what we want if we're looking where there is nothing to find.

There is always some kind of work we can do somewhere. However, as I briefly mentioned earlier, a major factor in trying to find new anything is that we really shouldn't be doing what our inner nature knows isn't good for us, or which would divert our best energies into a ditch. Then we have to open to doing other jobs we could possibly do that are outside of our previous conceptions which could lead us into unexpected productive directions and contacts.

Even the smallest lead into the "right action" will yield momentum quickly. Also remember that just because the planets indicate new beginnings, it may take some time before we get the perspective that helps us see that in fact something was happening even if at the time we thought nothing was happening.

Often if we simply jump into "the exchanging flow," as Rumi put it, we find something that could lead us into bigger things. If we don't know exactly where a new type of work is leading us, all we have to do is keep it simple, straightforward, and pleasant.

Another thing to keep in mind is that we live in times when a work horse is more needed than a show horse across many fields, given the larger real world conditions. A gentle determination is most valuable right now so don't be afraid to offer what wisdom and skills you have as you search with agreeable persistence.

Many times our frustration at the pace of things shows us how to be less fixed while seeing how to take initiative in balanced, planned ways. This is the Libra function in our charts acting as a balance to the desire for direct and immediate action in Aries. It’s also useful to remember that Libra is where we confront the karmic consequences for past actions and inactions, and generate future consequences for current actions and inactions. To express a healthy Libra energy, find a balanced view, be willing to get a plan and execute it rhythmically across time, and remember that we must always find a greater diversity of interests lest we become one trick wonders.

When we're frustrated in our search for a new job, or a new sense of purpose, it may be a signal to sacrifice the lesser to embrace our Sacred Self, and grow beyond old limitations. Then we must step back from stress and see how to align our life with a greater destiny through making some basic personal decisions, and decide we will find something to break free of the inertia no matter what. Then all that's left is to just do it!

In any case, there is always something in our world we can do where we can make money and either polish old skills or cultivate new ones. We must stop being discouraged at the “nine hundred and ninety-nine ways not to build a light bulb,” and focus on the several perfect ways that we could invent a new set of job skills or find our way to the stream that will lead to the river that leads to the ocean.

In the immortal words of "Tubthumping" by Chumbawamba, "I get knocked down, but I get up again, you're never gonna keep me down...." Resolve that you will not let the past discourage the present, and move forward. We can always find something if we open and stay open.

I speak from experience, since I was in the same boat in the mid-80s. In my case, an 8 hour low paying temp word processing gig led me straight into becoming a television producer, director, and editor for 6 years. Many doors open as we embrace seeing possibilities with new eyes and a gentle pleasant determination that will not yield until it finds the object of its search.

Life is virtually infinite in its possibilities, and our growth as Souls learning how to navigate the material existence is equally infinite. All we have to do is get out of our own way, open to that which we've not known up to now, and be willing to get back into learning mode so that we can apply those realizations in skillful ways.

Being bummed out and discouraged may feel natural, but they won't get the job done, as it were. There are plenty of jobs to do where we could make money, have some fun, and be part of the exchanging flow. It all leads us toward our spiritual home. All we have to do is find the groove and move in that direction. Once we're in our groove, what's not to like?

As always, another article well thought out and all bases covered. I definately agreed with what you wrote and for the most part a good direction. But I have to say, I feel really bad for this person and all that are looking for work, although like many subjects, your direction may work for many, but not for all. Maybe even not the many. Famous wive tales, and intelligent sayings handed down, not to mention just plain old common sense, give us a direction to start with, I'll give you that.

For me, at sixty I can't find work, and like you say as there is always something out there. No there isn't. I can't get hired at my age and with now being three years out of my profession, and I know I will never return. I can't get a reply for any position in that field. Then, you look to take anything, but when applying for a dishwasher job, they say I am way overqualified and say "you're not going to stay and will leave as soon as you can". Are they wrong? No. I tried washing cars and they wouldn't reply either in person,on line, or on the phone.

So as a younger man, a contractor of build outs of which I could always fall back on, I cannot do anymore. My joints just won't allow that type of work anymore. So follwing another path, or using other skills you may have really and honestly is not the answer either.

I always enjoyed cars so I applied for work as a detailer, to a couple different places, of which I heard no reply. I think I applied at every fast food franchise there is, and nothing. My resume details my work history for GM, Director, Manager, Operations, and you can't change your history even though I dumbed it down as much as possible.

So I feel for this person. I feel a lot for their pain. It's not as easy as some make it out to be. I know in my lifetime, I will never see the economy again of yester year. Service jobs galore at min wage. Just great.

I'll never forget an interview I watched about Paul Newman. He said it was all luck how things played out in his life that gave him the oppotunities to start a career. He said he thanked God every day.

Zig and zag, try and try, don't do this, do that, it doesn't work for everyone. As I am preparing having to live in my car in the next couple of days, I feel for this person that is discouraged, because like myself, you never know when you may be the next statistic. I wish all unemployed and under employed well and my prayer each evening is for all of you.

Hi Norm - No one ever walked up to me and handed me a job in my life, so I've had to think on my feet and keep learning skills for almost 50 years. When younger, I was refused countless times more than I was ever accepted. But I just kept learning, kept applying what I knew and wind up here at 63 just doing my thing. Even at my age, I have about 6 or 8 marketable skills if the internet ever went away.

Few can now find work because the country doesn't value talent or initiative. So find a new way to view your past skills and find a new way to communicate or describe them to a market that desperately wants someone it can rely on. Help is easy to find. Good help is hard to find.

Cultivate a new skill that the world needs. There are plenty of jobs that need to be filled, but we have to be better than the mediocrities that are churned out of the system. I've also been refused for being overqualified more times than I can count. So I just kept learning skills that people wanted.

I never did service jobs, except a brief gig as a temp word processing expert. But I did learn the art of coaching people on constructing resumes that actually work. Stop thinking in terms of jobs. Think in terms of life skills. You have plenty. There are a bunch of people that need people who are mature, reliable, and skilled at what they do.

Truly, may you find an unusual gig that is perfect for you. The tag team retrogrades of the past 9 months are over. Move forward without pessimism or skepticism. Read "You can heal your life" by Louise Hay. Lots of used copies out there. Reprogram your expectations, your receptivity, your willingness to hear your inner voice and be led to the perfect gig for you right now. And don't prejudge a gig just because it doesn't fit your conception of who you believe yourself to be. There are plenty of jobs out there, from nanny to paralegal, that don't require much training but do require diligence and attentiveness. There are others, of course.

Hi Norm,
Sending you good vibes and prayers. Altho it's easy for me to say 'cause I'm not in your situation, after reading your brief work history, you DO have a whole range of skills to offer. You have a lifetime of experience and knowledge...simply by having been in this incarnation for 60 years. And you didn't get to be Director, Manager and in Operations by being a slouch. You're STILL that same man (well different now certainly, but you get my drift), only you're world has been wobbled quite a bit.

I've lost a job twice in my administrative career and both times was out of work for a while. Certainly not as long as you, but I get the frustration you're dealing with. Don't give up on you! I think Robert has given excellent advice to all of us. I've been working for the same non-profit organization for 28 years. I started there at the age 35 and will turn 63 on the 15th of this month (yay for me!). I'm almost embarrassed to admit that. Who even does that anymore? I knew it wasn't a good fit after two years. I stayed because at the time you had to be there 10 years before your Pension was vested. I stayed because of fear. My thinking was, I'll stay 10 years to get my Pension vested and then leave. And then comfort set in. I've taken classes and workshops all the while in the quest to find something other than administrative. How I envied people who had a passion for their work. And how interesting the ways God/the Universe works to wake you up. I have had a whole host of illnesses in the past 10 years. The last two years I've had some really serious health issues. I've kept bargaining with myself. Stick it out. Put in your time. I operated on...be the change you wish to see in the world. You can make a difference here. All the while the fear part was always running in the background, you need the pay & the benefits. Don't get me wrong, I've been grateful but they've come at an extremely high price. Conform, conform, conform or pay the price...they try to crush any individual thinking, try and make you think you are the problem...for speaking the truth. To say it's highly dysfunctional is an understatement. I won't bore you with all the dramas. Woe was me. Then I shifted my perspective and realized the gifts that I learned about me and how I operated in life. My latest bargain was, just put in 3 more years to get higher social security. I've come to realize I can't do 3 more years there. It's true that what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger. I have gotten stronger and grown in so many ways, but a light bulb (dear God, finally!!!) just dawned on days before reading Robert's article that if I don't leave this job & the toxic environment, it very well may kill me. Sounds dramatic but it rings true for me. You worked for a large corporation, so you know the soul sucking dynamics at play. I now find I'll be 63 and looking for a job. I know....I have the luxury of having a salary while looking, but I've got to push past my own fears of being this age and starting a new career.

But hey, I've gotten wayyyy off track here. I didn't want to make this about me...just trying to relate I get your frustration and feeling of hopelessness.

I think I can safely say that the Aquarius Papers community are keeping you in their thoughts & prayers and are rooting for you. We're Team Norm! Keep on keepin' on Norm. GO NORM! Have faith in YOU and God/the Universe. All the best to you.

Robert and I have had a couple exchanges through the years publically and privately, I think the last one was regarding the loss of both our kitty's, and he has always been good man and respect his opinion. My note to him was not to direct the topic regarding myself, but rather to tell him that with all the hope, dedication, famous sayings written by famous people, not to mention common sense, it's just not that simple for many, and imparticular the peron he was referring to in his article.

There are many, many people out there that have it a lot worse than this person who was looking for a job, and myself. So I am sure that peron along with myself is still grateful for what we have, as the saying goes "it can always be worse".

It's just that many people do give it their all as Robert has advised, and do everything in their power, and use patience and understanding, and for some people things sometime till don't turn out, ie "the haves and the have nots".

And although the advise was good and well thought out, not to mention a little astrology in there for a little extra "umph", it's not always "the answer". It doen't work for everyone, and you have to feel for them. You do.

I'm sorry to hear about your job and health issues as well, and sincerely hope your health issues improve or can be managed for you. And yes, I am well aware of the dysfunction and politics in the work place brought on by very insecure and incompetent people. Sometimes you wonder "who hired these people anyway"? And whoever did, why do they still have a job?

The long and short of it is that I really feel bad for those who do try, appreciate how desperate they are, and I know they have been offered (whether that wanted it or not)all the advice in the world and sometimes it is from people who never been that desperate, have lost everything, and/or are homeless. Generally speaking. I always like the saying that goes like "you have no right to comment on my situation unless you have walked a mile in my shoes". Or something like that.

Robert and the community here are the best. Straight up good people. Well, I just wanted to write and say thank you for your kindness, and may God Bless You.

Hi Norm - You're definitely not alone, and have whatever emotional support this community can give. Your comment reminded me that recently I heard from a client of many years who said his own life, health, and career completely fell apart, very much as you've described your situation. He was fairly hopeless just a few weeks ago, and thought he'd be on the streets. He applied for disability (since he has truly become disabled the past two years) and was told he'd have to wait for months. It all turned around recently in about 48 hours and he's on his way to a new state, a new life direction, and has just enough of a financial and human support system that he's willing to try to move forward from here.

Please look for the trickle which can lead to the stream which can lead to the river which can lead to the ocean. Everyone has skills that someone wants. And if no one wants your skills where you are, it may be time to figure out plan B, since one cannot find pineapples in a potato field. Either we have skills that are needed, or we have to learn new ones that are needed, or we have to go somewhere else. All these are within our power.

Having been on the streets many years ago with literally nothing, I found that if I was willing to work harder than the next guy in the dishroom or kitchen, I got the hours. 6 am scrubbing two tons of potatoes for baking that day? No prob. At another point, as long as I was willing to show up at 4 am, I got the gig as a temp doing word and form processing. If I was willing to learn anything "they" wanted me to learn, I got the hours.

While it's tough being not young and unemployed, we can always find something somewhere that pays us whatever until we find a better gig. And sometimes we have to make our own work. We just have to decide we're going to do whatever it takes to get across the River Styx from an old life to a new.

While it can get discouraging, that won't get the gig. Only determination will get us where we want to go. I have been discouraged unto death in my life more than once. Never helped much, but my determination to move forward, not allowing anything or anyone to cloud my intention, has always worked for me and everyone else I've ever known. I suspect it's part of being human.

While people know you may not be around for that long, you can prove you're better than anyone else they could hire. And there is a huge demand in some fields for those trained in such things, from baking bread to entertaining at children's parties to being a paralegal to being a nanny to any number of other possible things to do to make money and have some fun.